Guitar picks or plectrums are typically made from triangular pieces of one uniform material such as metal, plastic, wood, and others. They are generally shaped in an acute isosceles triangle with two equal corners rounded and the third corner less rounded. The picks generally have flat bodies and the area delineated by the two more-rounded corners are used for grasping between thumb and finger, and the less-rounded playing corner or tip is used to strum or pluck the strings of the guitar.
Different tones have been achieved by manipulating the structure of the pick, including the addition of apertures, and by manipulating the materials used in the construction of the pick. Examples of picks utilizing the manipulation of materials include U. S. Pat. No. 4,993,302 to Jonathon disclosing a tri-ply pick comprising a thin piece of plastic sandwiched by glue with two pieces of rubber to make it easier to grip. U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,308 to Balog discloses a hard plastic guitar pick and hard felt bonded by silicone glue, wherein the pick helps produce improved picking techniques, an easier grip, and different musical tones.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,881 to Jackson discloses a pick with a key ring hole and centrally-located disc constructed from non-slippery material. U.S. Patent Application No. 2008/0163737 to Grant discloses a guitar pick comprising flat metal stock of an oval shape, having a ridge of a rounded cross-section on one side near the leading edge, and preferably decorative and/or informative designs or words permanently imprinted on the top and/or bottom.
Examples of picks utilizing the structure and apertures include U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0156895 to Judd which discloses a cutout section that traverses the center of the pick to create a hinge point at each side of the pick allowing the pick to have extreme flexibility when strumming. U.S. Patent Application No. 2010/0180748 to Frederick discloses apertures disposed through a pick at predetermined locations, such apertures providing a gripping means which enables a user to grasp and control such pick.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2013/0092008 to Murphy discloses a guitar pick with at least three corners, at least two of which have a different gauge or stiffness to produce different sounds on a guitar, wherein the pick is generally symmetrical and all corners are “playing” corners of different gauge, intended for use across the strings of a guitar.
Similarly, U.S. Design Pat. No. D330,905 to Thomas discloses a guitar pick with different elevations. U.S. Pat. No. 6,777,602 to Hautamaki discloses a substantially planar central gripping portion and three or more substantially planar picking wing portions peripherally extending one each in a respective different longitudinal direction from the central gripping portion, such that only one of the wing portions may be used at any one time, such that the wing portion, and wherein each of the wing portions is of a different relative thickness, so as to produce a different relative tone when each is respectively used. U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,097 to Barry discloses a pick where the mid-portion of a wire extends outwardly from the body to form a string-engaging pick portion having a rounded, polished tip for picking the strings of the musical instrument.
Material in general has an effect on the characteristics provided by a plectrum. Metal picks produce a brighter sound than plastic. They are more durable than plastic or wood, but have the disadvantage of quickly wearing the strings of the instrument and damaging the finish of the instrument.
Plastic is the most popular material for picks. Plastic picks produce a darker sound than metal and a colder tone than wood. Plastic picks are less durable than metal, but more durable than wood. Most picks are made of various type of plastic, including celluloid, nylon, acetal (Delrin), and lexan. Plastic picks are relatively easy to mass produce and tend to be significantly cheaper than wood picks.
Wood picks generally produce a warmer tone than metal or plastic. Wood picks have a unique characteristic in that each species of wood produces a unique sound resulting from differences in density, hardness and cellular structure. Wood picks are less durable that metal or plastic, and as a result tend to be thicker than metal or plastic picks. Additionally, wood picks tend to break more easily than plastic, especially along the grain lines of the wood. Wood picks are difficult to mass produce, and tend to be substantially more expensive than plastic picks.
Picks are often differentiated by gauge, meaning their relative stiffness or degree of flexibility. Different stiffness is achieved by using different thicknesses of the same material, or by using different materials. Picks of different gauge produce different sounds, tones, and playability. Generally, a heavier or thicker pick produces a darker sound than a lighter or thinner pick. As a general guide, the thickness of extra light picks are 0.44 mm or less; light picks range from 0.45 mm to 0.69 mm; medium picks range from 0.70 mm to 0.84 mm; heavy picks range from 0.85 mm to 1.20 mm; and extra heavy picks are 1.50 mm or more.
While the foregoing examples of guitar pick are usable for their intended purposes, a need still exists in the art for an improved guitar pick. In particular, there is a need for an improved guitar pick providing the warm tones of wood with the durability associated with the colder sounding materials such as plastic.